On September 10, 2025, at approximately 12:24 PM, conservative political influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, during his American Comeback Tour. According to an internal ATF message, a suspect fired a single shot from an elevated position on a rooftop of an adjacent campus building. Surveillance footage captured the suspect jumping off the roof and fleeing on foot.
ATF and other law enforcement agencies recovered an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle, wrapped in a towel, in a wooded area near the campus. The firearm’s location aligns with the suspect’s escape route. A spent cartridge remained chambered, alongside three unspent rounds in the top-fed magazine. All cartridges bore engraved wording expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology.
An emergency trace on the firearm has been submitted, and ATF’s Salt Lake City field office is pursuing leads generated by the trace. The FBI has taken custody of the firearm and ammunition for DNA analysis and fingerprint impressions. Upon completion of forensics, the firearm will be disassembled to gather additional importer information.
Multiple individuals have been contacted or detained based on eyewitness testimony and video footage review. The primary suspect has not yet been identified. The investigation is being co-led by the FBI and Utah State Bureau of Investigation, with ATF and other federal, state, and local partners assisting.
